Structural Biology Core

The Structural Biology Core provides access to a variety of technologies to support all aspects of modern structural biology and is open to users from both dedicated structural labs as well as biologists wishing to incorporate structural studies into their projects.

The mainstay of our work is protein structure determination using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy or X-ray crystallography. Increasingly, machine learning-based protein structure prediction tools are being used in structural biology and we can advise on how best to generate and use such models in an experimental context. 

We are also expanding our EM capabilities to allow imaging of much larger cellular structures in situ using techniques such as cryo-electron tomography.

The Core also offers: 

• full training to users wishing to use the equipment or carry out time-limited, defined projects to requirement.
• advice and assistance with all aspects of the typical structural biology workflow, from grant applications to paper preparation.
• to arrange and organise access to large-scale facilities such as the crystallography and solution scattering beamlines at Diamond Light Source, and high-end microscopes at eBIC and SCMI.
• general imaging of a wide range of biological samples, whether cryo-preserved or fixed and stained using conventional methods.